❝TWO'S COMPANY, THREE'S A CROWD❞
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⋆𐙚₊˚⊹ chapter five, pre Gilmore Girls

July 21st, 1992

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[ LUKE'S POV ]

     I CONVERTED THE HARDWARE STORE INTO A DINER.

I honestly don't know what possessed me to convert my father's hardware store into a diner but I did it and there's absolutely no going back now.

     Since my father's death, I've been cooking a lot more, trying to be healthier for Lucy who indulges in these crazy diets with me. No, I did not force my own kid to eat my healthy food, no matter how much the town thinks so, she just chose to eat healthy alongside me.

I mean, she's seven-years-old, she should be stuffing her face with junk food.

However, despite her lack of enthusiasm towards burgers and meaty foods, Lucy is extremely excited about me turning the hardware store into a diner. She's told every person in town about the diner that'll be known as Luke's.

I put some real thought into the name, right?

I kept the structure of the hardware store. Every decoration, photo, shelf, and even the order my dad scribbled down on a cabinet remains in the small space that I now call my diner. Heck, I even kept the William's Hardware sign outside the diner which I know will confuse tourists but I couldn't bring myself to remove the sign.

I find it surreal that all this is mine. This is something I've created without any help— Well, unless you call Lucy help— and I can't believe that it's the grand opening. Today.

I know my dad would hate this. He would hate that I kept this place as a reminder of him. I know he's cursing me out right now but I don't care in the slightest because this is the happiest I've felt in a long time. And seeing the smile on Lucy's face makes this all worth it.

Inside, there's ten tables, give or take, and Lucy has claimed every single one, insisting that she will eat at every table until she picks the one. To the right of the entrance is a wall lined with shelves and memorabilia with the front counter facing a row of windows that observe the centre of town.

The kitchen is cramped, only allowing for two people to really be in it at a time. I had to cram it into the back room behind the counter that used to hold my father's stock. Alongside the kitchen is a storage which then leads to the back entrance.

In some ways, it's perfect. In other ways, it's a mess.

The town has been raving about my decision to change the hardware store into a diner since I mentioned it at the town meeting six months ago. Of course, I mentioned the idea to Lucy before and she was more than excited to live in a diner.

Our apartment still rests above the now-diner and, even though it's cramped, Lucy adores the space. She's constantly inviting her best friend, Addy to stay over for sleepovers, something I'm opposed to at times because Addy's mother is terrifying.

I love that she loves the tiny place we live in. She never does complain and I love her more and more everyday for it.

She insisted that the entire town come to watch the grand opening of the diner, something I'm against, but I can't say no to her. Nobody can say no to the bundle of joy that I call my daughter. Everybody has grown to love her, even Taylor who hates absolutely everyone, including me.

So now everybody stands around the diner, looking to the little girl who stands on the top step that leads to the door. She has her arms crossed over her chest, her bottom lip sticking out as she waits for everybody to settle down.

I grin, watching as Lucy claps her hands together in the hopes that everybody will listen. "She's one bossy kid."

I turn to Anna Nardini, my smile never faltering.

Anna Nardini is somebody I started dating almost a year ago. I knew her from around town but we hadn't spoken until I bumped into her at Taylor's market and we fell into a conversation, leading us to having a couple dates before I introduced her to the only person who was allowed to judge our relationship.

At first, I wasn't sure how Lucy felt about Anna, especially since she's the first woman I dated since Lucy was born. However, now I like to think that Lucy has grown accustomed to having Anna around a little bit more. Sometimes, she'll stay over and hang out, and sometimes the three of us will go out and indulge in some of the town festivities, something I hate with a passion, but seeing Lucy's face lights up convinces me to enjoy the town's crazy events.

Now I have Anna here, grinning and laughing as my daughter claps her hands together again, finally catching the attention of the townsfolk.

"Are we ready?" she shouts, her voice surprisingly loud enough for everybody to agree with the girl. "Everybody must eat here from now on, okay?"

I grin because nobody can say no to her.

"Thank you for coming," she says, shrugging her shoulders. "I knew you all would."

People laugh around me.

"Anyway, I get to have the first burger so you should all follow me inside and watch me eat." She turns swiftly, her hand grasping the door handle before she pushes it open.

A sound of cheers and applauds sound behind me and I turn to face the town, a satisfied smile on my face because I accomplished this.

Before Lucy steps in, she walks back towards me and grabs my hand, pulling me away from the people who then trail in after me. "Come on, Dad, you have to make the first burger," she says, pulling me towards the back where the kitchen is.

"Everybody sit down!" she calls over her shoulder.

I laugh, snatching her off the floor. She shrieks, smacking her hand against my arm in a lame attempt for me to put her down. I don't care how old she gets, I'll never get tired of holding her. Sure, she's getting bigger and taller but I couldn't care less. For the last six months, I've struggled but I've had Lucy there alongside me. She's stayed up late with me, she's indulged in my silly rants, and she's been doing her best to keep me sane through the painful process of starting a new business.

She's been the light in my life, the one keeping me awake, and the one to push me forward.

"Dad, put me down!" Her hand smacks my arm again as I hug her tightly, embracing this single moment with her.

Everybody is gathered in the diner. I can hear their conversations as they take seats at the counter and the tables. Anna is behind the counter, making the first batch of coffee while I stand in the kitchen holding onto the reason this is all possible.

I push a kiss against the side of her head. "Thanks for making all this possible, kid."

"I didn't do anything," she laughs, obviously not realising how much she's impacted me and this diner. She'll never know how much she influences me in every decision I make, and I'm ridiculously grateful for her.

"Thank you anyway," I say, squeezing her one final time before I place her down on her feet.

Before I can say another word, I hear, "Luke, serve your customers!"

I chuckle, looking down at Lucy who is laughing. "Do your job," she demands, pointing a finger towards me.

"Yes, ma'am."

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August 21st, 1992

LUKE'S DINER HAS BEEN OPENED FOR ONE MONTH.

And I must say, it's the most harrowing, mind-numbing job I've had ever. For my entire life, I've worked alongside my father and that had been simple. I barely had to do anything because nobody ever really came into the hardware store but now everybody comes into the diner for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's always bustling with people of all ages and to say I don't like people is an understatement.

Why did I think opening a diner would be smart?

The only help I have is my cook, Caesar and my seven-year-old daughter who, well, has a life at school and friends so she can't be here to ease my worries for sixteen hours a day.

Sometimes it's exciting to be so busy and on my feet constantly but others times, I'm wishing I could hide away upstairs and never return.

     So why did I think opening a diner would be smart?

     "Order!" I reach for the plate of steaming food that Caesar had just cooked up. I move away, carrying the plate with a shaky hand as I reach the table closest to the front door. I tempt a smile, placing the food down before I move away quickly to snatch another plate of food.

     Somebody should call me a fool for not numbering the tables but I have a pretty good memory of who ordered what. I write it down, I recognise the faces, and I present their food to them once it's cooked which, thanks to Caesar, doesn't take long.

     I cook sometimes, usually in the evening when we aren't extremely busy. I only cook because Lucy prefers my food over anybody else's. Personally, I think she's bias, but I don't argue with her. If my kid wants something, my kid will get it.

     According to her, I make the "perfect pancakes" and that's the best compliment I've received, and I've been working here a month. People have complimented the food and there have been minimal complaints— except the man who claimed we didn't put his BLT in the correct order, which is crazy if you think about it.

     Sometimes, I think the only reason I truly enjoy this job is because it brings such joy to Lucy's face when she gets to serve a few plates to customers. I let her handle the cold foods when she wants to help me and the customers can't seem to resist a seven-year-old girl with a sunshine smile and wide eyes.

     She's been a great help, and I imagine she'll be a greater help when she's older and she can pour coffee or actually cook.

     She always tries to help me with cooking, insisting that she knows what she's doing but I always have to stand by and keep her at arms-length from the stove. I won't let her burn herself. Again.

     "Daddy, guess what!" She barrels into the diner, her giant backpack slung over her arms as she rushes to the counter.

     I grin, watching as she drops her bag to the ground before scrambling up onto one of the stools. "What?"

     "Miss. Myers let me and Addy sit next to each other today." Her smile is wide and full of joy, probably because Miss. Myers is the first teacher to let her and Addy sit next to each other. The amount of phone calls I've received lately about Lucy and Addy causing disruption in class has been amusing.

     "That's great, sweetie." I chuckle, pushing a water towards her. "You won't get told off again, right?"

     "No," she says, her bottom lip sticking out. "I'll be good from now on, Dad."

     She's a good kid. Smart, too. She's only troublesome when she's around Addy, somebody who is loud and exciting, contrasting against my often quiet daughter. However, Addy seems to bring out the risk-taking side out of Lucy which is a blessing and a curse.

     "You hungry?" I ask, snatching my notepad off the counter.

     She shrugs. "Is it too late for blueberry pancakes?" Ah, yes, her new favourite food.

     "For you, I can make an exception."

"Thank you," she says, a wide smile on her face because I know how excited she is for the "perfect pancakes."

I move away, leaving her to pester a couple customers at other tables. Well, I say pester, but the customers say it's "cute bickering," and I just love how everybody in this town forgets they need food for a quick second whenever Lucy steps up to the table.

When Lucy receives her food, she's quick to dive in immediately. She's grasping a fork and knife, cutting the pancake accordingly. I've taught her well.

"Oh, Miss. Myers is also single," is what she decides to say after chewing her first mouthful of pancake.

I turn to glance at her, an eyebrow raised. "And why does that matter?"

She shrugs innocently. "Just thought you should know," she says quietly, jabbing her fork at her pancake to take another bite.

     Since the breakup with Anna two weeks ago, Lucy hasn't stopped pestering me about finding somebody else. I think she liked the idea of having a woman around. She's constantly stuck with me— her tired and boring dad— and sometimes I do wish she could have a motherly figure in her life. However, I'm not the greatest at picking women, meaning Lucy will be likely stuck with me for the rest of her life without a mother figure.

     Now, she's trying to set me up with her teacher which isn't surprising. She's already asked multiple teachers over the last two weeks, even married teachers who simply laugh at the seven-year-old and continue on with class.

     I find it sweet that she cares so much about me finding someone, especially since I don't need someone. I'm perfectly content with my life right now and I love my daughter, the only person I really need in my life.

"Look, Lucy..." I lean forward on the counter, hands clasped together. "I love that you, you know, care so much about who I... date but you shouldn't worry about it, okay? You're seven, Lucy, and I'm very capable of finding— Just, don't worry about it, sweetheart."

Lucy brings her eyes off me, her mouth clamping shut. "Anna left, Dad," she says, and she sounds somewhat upset. "Aren't you upset?"

I sigh. "I'm okay, kid. You know why?" Lucy shakes her head, her smile lifting. "Because I have you."

Lucy's smile is wide and I close my hand over hers. "You aren't sad?"

     "No, kid. I'm okay, I promise," I assure. She nods, not looking too persuaded by my response. "Are you upset about Anna leaving?"

Anna moved back to Woodbridge, claiming that we were rushing our relationship. Honestly, I knew our breakup was inevitable. We had been fighting and disagreeing with one another for months, finally deciding to part amicably two weeks ago. I hadn't even had the chance to ask Lucy how she felt about Anna leaving, mainly because I was trying to deal with it myself.

Anna was the first person I was with since Lucy's mother, but with Violet— Lucy's mother— the relationship ended abruptly and messily. Perhaps if it hadn't ended, Violet wouldn't have left her— my daughter— in the hospital. I try not to think about how different life would be if me and Violet didn't split up, but I couldn't stay with Violet, even for the sake of Lucy.

     One day, she'll probably ask about her mother. Honestly, I'm surprised she hasn't asked. She goes to school with kids who have mothers who wait outside for them while I'm the only dad who waits for my kid to finish school. She knows she doesn't have a mother, and maybe she isn't curious in the way I thought she would be.

Lucy shakes her head. "She was nice," Lucy replies. "But..." She pauses, leaning closer so only I can hear. "You didn't look happy sometimes."

I smile sadly at my daughter, the girl who looks at me like I hung the moon.

She's too smart for her own good, and I hate that she could see my unhappiness over the last few months. I hate that I couldn't shield her from this inevitable breakup between me and Anna. She's well-spoken, and she always knows what to say, even at seven-years-old.

She's perfect.

     "Do I look happy now?" I ask, desperately hoping I don't appear sad in front of her.

     "Very happy," she quips, a nod in her head.

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August 14th, 1993

     I MET RACHEL DURING A BUSY MORNING AT THE DINER.

     She caught me off guard with her presence. Shockingly, I had that feeling in my stomach that I've only had once in my life and that was with Anna. Something felt right the second I laid eyes on her and poured her a cup of coffee.

     And Lucy could see the shift in my face when I looked to her, my eyes not leaving hers for a good minute.

     She sits at the counter, her head buried in some sort of travel magazine while I pour her another cup of coffee without even asking her. "Thank you," she says, and that feeling in my stomach tightens, somewhat frightening me.

     God, I haven't felt this way since Anna.

     My eight-year-old stares up at me with giant eyes, a wide grin on her face. She knows me too damn well, I hate that sometimes.

     I place a hand upon her head to turn her away, pushing her forward and towards the kitchen where Caesar is. "Keep her on a leash," I say, prompting Lucy to sit at the one chair we keep in the kitchen, usually for her when she wants to pester Caesar. "Please."

     "I'm not a dog," she snipes, glaring at me.

     "Watch her," I say to Caesar, pointing a finger towards my troublesome daughter.

     "That's not in my job description," he says.

     "It is now."

     I step out of the kitchen, rushing off to serve the customers who just walked through the door. I swipe my notepad off the counter and I move towards them, scribbling down their order before slamming the tiny script of paper down for Caesar to capture and cook.

     I turn away, my eyes catching onto the woman sat at the counter with a coffee mug in her hands. She's beautiful, and I don't know why I feel this nerving clench in my stomach. I hate this. I don't even know who this woman is, and I don't have any interest in getting to know her either.

     After Anna, I haven't got much interest for dating anybody. I have an eight-year-old to consider and most woman will not want to be involved with somebody who is so swept up in his daughter.

     I messed around with a few girls in high school but I never had any relationships. My first real relationship— if you call it that— was with Lucy's waste-of-a-space mother, Violet Walker who I dated for four months before we parted, mainly because she was so busy with school and her parents— who hated me with a burning passion— and we didn't speak again. She hasn't called, hasn't left a letter, and as far as I know, she's dead somewhere. Sometimes I think that's for the best, especially since Lucy will be better off without her.

     Then came Anna who was quite a maternal person, and Lucy immediately got along with her right off the bat which, well, freaked me out. I didn't want Lucy getting attached to somebody I dated when I didn't see it going any further than a couple dates. I would hate her to become attached and then be sad when they eventually leave because they always leave.

     With Anna, some part of me thought we'd last, but I freaked out a little too much, starting to think we were moving too fast and when I broke up with her, I decided that I wouldn't date anyone for a long time.

     I actually envisioned myself being a lonely, old man in the future, only leaving the safety of my home to visit my daughter who will likely be married and happy.

     And now there was this woman sitting in front of me with a smile, and I don't know why, but I feel gravitated towards her.

     I open and close my mouth about six times, wanting to say something to her but then Lucy comes barreling in again. "Hey!" I flinch, my eyes looking down towards my kid who just loves to cause chaos.

     The woman across from me at the counter looks towards the little girl, a chuckle leaving her mouth. Lucy looks from me to the woman on the counter, a coffee mug in her hands. "Hi. My dad thinks you're pretty," she comments, a wicked laugh leaving her mouth.

     I no longer love my kid.

     I look down at her, my lips tightened into something of a smile. Lucy's grin is wide and wicked and I will lock this kid upstairs if she carries on grinning like she didn't just ruin any chance I had of talking to this woman.

     The woman laughs, her eyes moving from me to the little girl at my feet. "Really? Well, that's very nice of him. I think your dad is—"

     "Pretty, too?" Her face beams with excitement.

     She smiles widely. "Yes. Pretty," she replies, her voice kind.

     Lucy tugs on my flannel shirt, prompting me to move my eyes towards the woman at the counter. "I'm sorry about her. She—"

     "She can hear you!" Lucy beckons, crossing her arms over her chest in protest.

"Sorry, kiddo. How about you go help Caesar?" I don't need Lucy saying anything else, not in front of her. "Now."

Lucy groans, and I spin her around and push her forward and back towards the kitchen. She loves helping Caesar so I'm sure he'll keep her occupied while I indulge in a very unpleasant and awkward conversation with this woman.

The woman chuckles, brushing a strand of her curly hair behind her ear. "She's cute. How old is she?"

It's always safe to talk about my daughter. I find that she's an easy conversation topic.

I cough awkwardly, my throat suddenly feeling dry. "Uh, she— she's eight. She— I apologise about her. She tends to be, well, everywhere," I stammer, sounding like a complete fool. "Sorry about that."

"No, no, it's fine." She waves it off, crossing her arms over her chest with a smile on her face. She has a kind smile, something I haven't recognised in anyone in a while. "Sorry if I'm, uh, nosey but you seem young to have an eight-year-old."

Oh, I've heard that one a million times.

Anna said the same thing. The mothers at the elementary school said the same thing. Everybody thinks I'm "too young" to have an eight-year-old, and in some ways, I am too young but in some ways, I find it sweet that she'll grow up and there'll only be a twenty-year difference between us.

I would like us to be close as she grows up. I hope we are close when she grows up and realises that I'm always gonna be around for her.

I shift uncomfortably, my hand sliding against the counter as I clear my throat. "Uh, yeah. She— Well, she was a surprise, and..." I look to the stranger who sits across from me, and I realise how much of an idiot I sound. "I'm sorry. I'm not very good at this whole thing."

"What's this whole thing?" she asks, a grin playing on her lips, and I realise I've buried myself into a hole.

I shrug, taking my eyes off her for a second to compose my thoughts and think of real words. "Well, I don't know, I just... I... I just, you know? Whatever... Okay, I'm not—"

"He wants to ask you on a date!"

I spin to look at the owner of the squeaky voice and I'm horrified that Lucy has heard my ridiculous stammering over a woman. I imagine that in ten years time, Lucy will remember this exact moment and never shut up about it.

I'm mortified right now but all this woman does is laugh, acting as if this isn't the most embarrassing thing in the world.

"Say yes!" she shrieks again, clapping her hands together.

"Luciana!" I never use her full name unless she does something like this. "I told you to—"

"Yes." I turn back to the stranger, watching as she simply smiles. "I'm Rachel."

Before I can speak, my daughter decides to shout, "Yes!" and I can't fight the grin off my face as I look from her to Rachel.

I imagine she'll be here for most moments I try to share with a woman.

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authors note:

btw i don't actually know how old caesar is so idk if he was working for luke all the way in 1992 but hey ho!

i think i got the dates right for anna and luke. i know april was born in april 1993 so hope this all makes sense :)